The Rivers State Police Command has paraded five suspects arrested over the kidnap of a 65-year-old man, Mr Sokari Braide.
Braid who was kidnapped at Elechi Waterfront Phase 2, Mile 1, Diobu in Port Harcourt last week when gunmen invaded his residence, shooting sporadically, died two days after he regained freedom from his captors who had collected N1.2million ransom.
Perfect Agbasi, an in-law of the victim’s in-law who is also the prime suspect told journalists at the State Police Command headquarters during a parade on Friday that the leader of the kidnap gang contacted him after the incident to give him the victim’s wife’s phone number.
Agbasi disclosed that he contacted one Gentle, who gave him the phone number and he later went to see the kidnappers in Ogoni before being taken to Andoni, where the victim was kept. He confirmed that the kidnappers gave him N20, 000 for getting the victim’s wife’s number for them.
Spokesperson of the Command, Nnamdi Omoni, said a discrete investigation by the Eagle Crack Police unit led to the arrest of the prime suspect and four others.
Omoni reiterated that the group collected the ransom of N1.2million at a location in Andoni Council for the release of the victim, adding: “On August 8, Braide was kidnapped and taken to another destination, with the kidnapers calling the family and collecting N1.2million ransom after demanding N20 million without the knowledge of the Police.
“Two days later, after the victim was released, he died in the hospital because he was very weak following injuries sustained at the point of his kidnap.”
He revealed that Agbasi’s confessional statement to the arrest of other members of the gangs, adding that efforts were on to apprehend other fleeing members of the group.
Meanwhile, the victim’s wife, Mrs Beauty Sokari, told journalists that despite her plea to the kidnappers who initially demanded N20million ransoms to release her husband they refused.
Mrs Braide disclosed that her husband gave up the ghost at the hospital two days after he regained freedom.
